This collection's title and format are inspired by the first fan fiction I ever read, Introspections with Chad by Saigo no Hajime. I dedicate this story to my sister-Kashlock-who introduced me to FFnet (and BLEACH, incidentally).
I always wondered about Keigo: was there anything more to him than comic relief? And then he thoroughly impressed me in the Deicide arc. So it's taken a few years, but I decided to finally write out some of my "Keigo thoughts." If anything, it distracts me from my disenchantment with the manga's current Thousand Year War arc. Enjoy.
.o0o.
On Violence
Keigo didn't get off on pain, but he clung to behaviors that invited it. Shouting salutations at Ichigo, waxing lascivious about girls, erupting into shrieks and tears at real and imagined slights. The school day commenced with Ichigo's standard kick/clothesline/fist-in-face greeting and was peppered with corporal punishment courtesy of Arisawa.
It's not that Keigo couldn't make the connection between his actions and the brutal consequences, but he accepted them.
Back in junior high Keigo realized he wasn't a standout in any arena. Not a brainiac, jock, trendsetter or heartthrob. The outsiders (as they always are) were paradoxically cliquish. Keigo craved connection with peers but didn't know how to achieve it. He needed to differentiate himself and become "that guy."
So he started capitalizing on his own-somewhat frequent-social faux pas and physical blunders, spinning them into comedic stunts.
Keigo's wacky persona obscured a rather keen eye for social dynamics. He noticed his classmates' quiet crushes, hidden insecurities, subtle talents. When he started at Karakura High he saw past Kurosaki's scowl and delinquent reputation to the guy who inspired and offered utter loyalty. The carrot top was a brawler, no doubt, but he wasn't a bully. Ichigo was a punk, his best friend "Chad" was a mutant, and a jester just might find a place with people who didn't put up with teenage social hierarchy bullshit.
Keigo and Mizuiro kept showing up at Ichigo's lunch table seemingly impervious to Ichigo's glower and Chad's imposing silence and everyone got used to the routine. Through Ichigo, Keigo met Arisawa and the goddess Inoue. Keigo was as obnoxious as ever, but his new friends possessed some social clairvoyance themselves and played along.
He knew that his acceptance wasn't contingent on playing the fool (he was aware that "annoying" was one of his nicest epithets), but Keigo could admit that his public image wasn't totally off the mark and it did help the group-particularly Ichigo-let off steam and loosen up. At the cost of a kidney punch here, a hallway tripping there, and being the brunt of a dozen jokes before the final bell, Keigo had an identity and circle of nakama. A sense of belonging no matter how volubly he wailed to the contrary.
AN: Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you think.
